


Shadow Of The Studio

by anne_the_and_sign



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Female Reader, Reader is a Mechanic, Reader-Insert, bendy and the ink machine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:27:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anne_the_and_sign/pseuds/anne_the_and_sign
Summary: Henry finds he's even less alone in the studio than he thought.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter One: Errand Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Bendy and The Ink Machine fic! I've been posting it on Tumblr, and I figured I may as well post it here too.

_How many of these cutouts are there? I’ve already gotten rid of ten; how many more do I have to destroy?_

Henry wandered back through Heavenly Toys looking for Bendy cutouts. What Alice wanted, she got; anything to get out of this place. Everything here felt wrong, like he was being watched. He finally stopped near a Little Miracle Station and started swinging at a cutout leaning against a railing when a voice spoke up.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Henry stopped mid-swing, jerked back, and whirled around to see a figure standing half in the shadows. She held an ax in one hand and had a length of rope slung over her left shoulder.

“I’m following Alice Angel’s orders. I just want to get out of here.”

“We all do. Alice told you to destroy these?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” When the woman stepped forward, Henry could see that she wasn’t in shadow, but was actually half covered in ink, causing him to take a small step back.

“If you’re not afraid of the Ink Demon, then no; I suppose it isn’t a problem. You seem busy, so please, continue. I won’t stop you.”

She had a strong stare that dared him to remain still, so he backed up another step and turned around to continue destroying the Bendys. When he destroyed the last one, the speakers crackled to life and Alice’s voice sounded again, “Ah, now that was fun! Oh, but I forgot to mention... he hates it when I do that. I would hide if I were you."

“She’s right, you know.” The woman swung open the door to the Little Miracle Station, “Get in. Now.”

With dark tendrils starting to creep over the room, Henry followed her instruction. She closed the door immediately after and moved swiftly to an ink splatter and sank into it, hiding the parts of her that weren’t already covered in the ink. They both held their breaths as the Ink Demon stalked through the room, looking around at the remains of his cardboard likeness before continuing on to other rooms, the dark tendrils disappearing with him. A few moments later, Henry tentatively stepped out and looked around for the woman.

“What else have you been doing for Malice?”

“Malice?”

“Well she’s not exactly Alice, is she? That’s what she’s been called since the studio fell apart for good.”

Henry nodded thoughtfully before answering her question, “She had me find extra parts in gearboxes, get power cores, and collect thick ink from what she called the ‘Swollen Ones’. I don’t really understand why, though. I’m just trying to get Boris and myself out of here.”

“You found another Boris? Interesting. I haven’t seen one in a while.” She said this more to herself than Henry, then continued, addressing him. “Who are you? You look almost familiar somehow.”

“My name is Henry. I used to be an animator here. But I left thirty years ago. I only came back now because Joey asked me to.”

She grimaced at Joey’s name, but stuck out her clean (or, rather, less inky) hand and replied, “I’m Y/N. I was a mechanic here. I started a few weeks before you left; I think we only met once or twice.”

“Y/N, what can you tell me about what happened here? Nothing is familiar to me anymore.” By now, the pair had made their way back to the lift where Y/N’s harsh gaze softened at the sight of Boris. They got in together and started back towards level 9.

“It’s a long story, and none of it is very happy. The basics are that Drew went nuts after the cartoons became less popular and ruined everyone’s lives trying to keep it relevant. Most of us became ink figures, but a few were something else; like Susie and Sammy.”

“And you?”

“And me. I don’t know what makes me different, though. I just worked with the pipes and followed Thomas’ instructions on the machine. I don’t think I was even supposed to be here, honestly. I quit about a week before I was trapped here.”

When the lift stopped on level 9, Y/N stayed with Boris and Henry headed back to the door to return the ax. Once he did, Alice’s voice filtered through the speakers again.

“The disgusting wretches have wandered my halls, have gone unchecked! They’re trying to drag me back to the darkness! Don’t let them take your angel!” Inky creatures were bursting up from puddles, quickly sent back again as Henry beat them away with his pipe, “Purge them one by one! Smash them into puddles! Kill them!” She sounded manic now; Henry just kept swinging away as more figures popped up, followed by the Butcher Gang. All the while, Y/N inspected Boris while they stood safely in the closed lift. Both of them knew what was happening, but there wasn’t much they could do, so they just stayed put. After a few moments, the sounds of fighting quieted and Alice spoke again, sounding much more calm.

“So quiet. Like a welcoming grave. I like the silence, don’t you?” Henry returned to the door and the twisted toon gave him more instructions. “I hate leaving work unfinished! Fortunately, I have you to pick up the pieces. But you’ll have to go even deeper. Down, down, down into the abyss. Take the lift down. Say hello to an old friend. Sending you a little present. A little firepower. Take good care of it. It belonged to someone very special.” When Henry looked to the left, a Tommy gun sat there, waiting for him. When he tried to pick it up though, it melted away into the ink. “Oops. I forgot. It’s a little hard to get a hold of. Oh well. Better luck next time.”

Henry returned to the lift where Y/N and Boris stood staring each other down. When the lift started moving down, Y/N’s concentration broke and she looked around again.

“Where are we going?”

“Down. That’s all I know.”


	2. Chapter Two: The Projectionist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malice sends Henry and his friends to see an old coworker who may not be so friendly anymore

The creaky old lift descended into the depths of the decrepit studio. Boris seemed largely unaffected by the darkness and the moans coming from each floor they passed, but Y/N was attentive and focused on each one with a steely look in her eyes. The trio couldn’t do much but wait for the lift to arrive at its destination. When it came to the bottom, Henry immediately took notice of the massive ink stains and the several inches of ink covering the floor. The doors opened to let Y/N and Henry out, and Alice’s voice sounded over the speakers yet again. 

“Shh…” the twisted angel quieted the two, “there he is. The Projectionist. Skulking in the darkness. You be sure to stay out of his light, if you don’t want trouble.” Her warning only sounded half-hearted, but it didn’t really matter. “Just bring me back the pieces I need.”

The pair quietly stalked down the stairs into the shallow ink and moved toward a tape recorder resting on a crate near one entrance to the maze of halls where the Projectionist wandered. When Y/N nodded softly, Henry pressed the play button and a man’s voice croaked out of the tape. “ Now I'm not lookin' for trouble. It's just the nature of us projectionists to seek out the dark places. You see, I've learned the ins and outs of this here studio. I know how to avoid being bothered by the likes of this... company. That projectionist, they always say, creeping around, he's just lookin' for trouble. Well, trouble or not, I see everything. They don't even know when I'm watchin'. Even when I'm right behind' em.” 

“That’s Norman, isn’t it?” The former animator’s hushed question was met with another gentle nod from the ink-covered woman. 

“He disappeared a few weeks after Sammy did. The last conversation we had was about some weird things he’d been experiencing alone in the projection booth. He wanted to check it out, I told him it was a bad idea, and I guess he did it anyway. I should have stopped him, or at least gone with him. But I didn’t.”

Then she gestured to one doorway, indicating for him to go that way while she went the opposite direction. Not sure of what else he could do, Henry continued to follow her lead and did as she wanted. 

The sloshing sound that came from each person walking through the ink put Henry on edge, along with all the spare projectors set up that glowed on each wall, always disorienting him while he tried to search for the hearts of the deceased Butcher Gang members. The worn walls and rotting boards made him wonder just how long this had all been here, and how he hadn’t known anything about it.  _ Joey was a good liar, sure; but he couldn’t have been  _ this _ good, right? How could he have gotten the money for this, or even the space? None of this should be- There… _

Henry knelt down in the ink to pick up a mechanical-looking heart from the open chest cavity of a Piper. He didn’t want to consider how the poor guy had met his fate. Then Alice taunted him once more. 

“Tell me. Was it still writhing in your hand?”

He didn’t have a moment to despise her words, because just then he heard a horrible, angered shriek and saw the Projectionist’s light swing wildly as the tall figure sprinted towards him. Henry took off running, remembering the Little Miracle Station he’d seen a turn or two back and hoping he could hide there. When he did manage to get in and slam the door shut, he could see the Projectionist reach out for him. Just behind that, he saw Y/N appear again and mouth the words  **When I’m out of sight, RUN** . Before he could protest, she shouted to the Projectionist.

“HEY! Norman, I know that’s you! Come over here and we can talk!” The projector light swung around to illuminate her fully, showing her in all her half-ink glory. She stood with both hands raised, smudges covering most of her body and clothes now. She looked more angry and determined than ever as the tall dark body of ink approached her before she took off running deeper into the halls of ink and projectors. Henry did the only thing he could, hurrying out of the Miracle Station and back up the stairs to the lift. He found three hearts in a pile, no doubt collected by Y/N, and another in the chest cavity of another Fisher corpse. With the one he’d found, he now had five. Alice spoke again.

“Bring them to me now. I don’t like to wait.” Henry wanted to turn back and get Y/N, but he heard more loud screeching and decided there was likely nothing he could do but get himself killed. So, with a heavy heart and five inky ones in his arms, he got back in the lift with Boris and started back up to level 9.

Once Henry put the five hearts into the dropbox, Alice spoke.

“It seems we’ve reached the end of my todo list, my little errand boy. I hope you enjoyed our time together. I’ll always treasure it. Return to the lift. It’s time to go home.” Henry tiredly returned to the lift where Boris waited, sad to have lost Y/N despite their short encounter, but relieved to end this nightmare and go home. Boris could even come with him; Linda would be surprised, but they’d deal with it together. He stepped in and closed the gate when Alice continued speaking. Did she ever run out of things to say?

“Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like?” Her voice was more like an angel now, lighter and softer. “I like to dream that it’s quite beautiful. A soft valley of green grass, blanketed by a warm sun. I don’t think I’ll ever get to see it. Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boy? The heavens are waiting.” The angel began to cry for a moment before dissolving into manic laughter, cackling over the speakers while the lift continued to rise. Then, just as it reached another floor, the lift jerked and started plummeting downward. Sparks flew off the walls from the friction, and Boris cowered in the corner, terrified by the fall. 

“Did you really think I’d let you steal from me?! Did you really think I’d just let you go?! No, Henry! I know who you are! And I know why you’re here! And you will not stop what needs to be done!” Her screeching voice had become disjointed again, evidently two voices forced to become one. Henry had never heard anything like it before. “Now come down and bring me back my Boris! It’s the most perfect Boris I’ve ever seen and I want it! I need it. I need it’s insides so I can be beautiful again! Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it?! Give him to me!! Or better yet, I’ll take him! Once… you’re… dead!!” The lift crashed to the floor, finally stopping, but throwing Henry from his feet in the process and knocking the wind out of him. 

Boris tried to shake the former animator awake, but it wasn’t enough. Through his hazy vision, Henry saw Alice approach from behind, humming an old tune and reaching for Boris. He tried to stop her in any way he could, but his vision went black and his head dropped to rest on the floor. By the time his breathing steadied, Alice had dragged Boris back to her lab to tear him apart.


	3. Chapter Three: Travelling Deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Malice has taken Boris, Henry and Y/N must find a way to get him back. Unfortunately, very little goes according to plan.

Ink steadily dripped from the ceiling to the floor, the puddles slowly growing and staining the worn wooden boards. Henry lay on the floor by the destroyed lift, its doors wrenched apart and splayed out around the former animator. An inky figure rose from the puddles, looked around, and stopped when it caught sight of the unconscious body. After studying him for a minute and determining that he was still alive, the figure sank back into the dark liquid.

Just as Henry began to regain consciousness, a familiar half ink woman approached and shook him gently until he was responsive. His half-opened eyes scanned his surroundings as the events that had led him here returned to the front of his mind.

“What happened, Henry? You were supposed to leave when Malice was done with you.”

“I was trying to. But apparently she blames me for all this and now she stole Boris… How are you alive? I thought the Projectionist got you.”

“He did. Kind of. But I got him to recognise me, so I wasn’t hurt too badly. He’s on the lookout for the Ink Demon now so that I could get back to my safehouse.”

“Safehouse?” Y/N gave him a ‘duh’ look as they started walking down the hall together. An inky head popped out of a hole in the wall as they walked, but Y/N just waved it off and continued on.

“We need to get there fast, though. I’ve been out in the open for way too long. Once we’re there, we can make a plan to get Boris back.”

“Why can’t we go now, though? You know better than I do what Alice can do; we don’t have time to waste.”

Y/N stopped abruptly and whirled around to face him with a cold, stern look. “We are _not_ wasting time. I can’t risk being caught by the Ink Demon, Stein. Either you come back to the safehouse with me, or you can run off on your own and probably end up dead. Your choice.” She’d proved to be daring before, but not threatening. Henry feared for his safety a little more now, not entirely convinced that she wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m just worried about Boris.” Henry kept his mouth shut after that as he followed Y/N around the studio, clambering through vents, climbing down ladders, and hacking boards out of the way. She was even less of a conversationalist than before, hardly looking at him or saying anything aside from telling him to hurry up or warning him not to go in the wrong direction. When the pair finally reached a stained door with ink handprints on it, Y/N stopped to turn the wheel and pull the door open.

“Home sweet home. Get in, Stein.” Not only was her voice still hostile, she had stopped calling Henry by his first name and didn’t seem inclined to change that. Nonetheless, Henry followed the disgruntled mechanic in and let her close the door behind them. The Projectionist was waiting for them on one of the worn out couches. His light was pointing to one of the walls, and he’d put a reel on to play while a few ink figures watched, causing Y/N to smile slightly.

“Hey, Norman. Glad to see you made it safely. The others aren’t bothering you, right?” The figures all turned around looking as offended as faceless blobs could, which only made Y/N chuckle. “Alright, alright. I just want you all to be mindful of Norman. He’s been in the depths for so long, he needs time to adjust.”

Henry stood by the door still, a little surprised by the kindness she showed to the ink figures. It was easy to forget that they were likely the souls of his old coworkers. None of them paid him much mind, simply wandering around the safehouse or playing around with Norman while Y/N moved some papers around and drew paths along what looked like maps she’d made before. There were a few posters along the walls that looked fairly well-preserved. Each of them featured Boris, smiling and happy. One had Bendy on it with him, but his face had been covered by a splatter of ink. The Alice posters had messages scrawled across them, phrases that had become familiar to him: 

**It’s time to believe**

**Who’s laughing now?**

**The Creator lied to us**

**Dreams come true**

The Boris posters were the only ones that hadn’t been vandalized; Henry couldn’t say he was surprised or confused by that. After what felt like an eternity, Henry stopped looking through posters and papers. When he did, he realized that all the inky figures were gone. Y/N was by a stove in the corner making soup and Norman was stacking empty bacon soup cans to make towers. Each time they fell over, he sighed, which sounded like a soft squeal as he let his head fall. 

“Get over here, Stein. Eat your soup and get ready to go.”

“Do I get to know what our plan is?”

“You’ll figure it out as we go.” She pushed a bowl of soup into his hands, then walked past him and plopped down on the couch just behind Norman, handing him a bowl as well. The three ate in silence, Y/N still definitively not in the mood to talk. Once they were all finished, Y/N grabbed an ax from a shelf, situated a length of rope over her shoulder, and led Henry and Norman back to the door.

“Do I get an ax?”

“No. Now, Norman; stay close. I don’t want to lose track of you. Because the lift is broken now, we’ll have to get through quite a few halls and maybe even go through the park.”

“Park?”

“I’ll explain if I have to. Right now we need to move.” The irate mechanic set off down the hall with Norman plodding along behind her, Henry bringing up the rear. “We’re going to the archives first. Are familiar with that, Stein? Or are you completely clueless?”

“I remember the archives. I spent a decent amount of time there before I left.” Her remark was a little hurtful, but it was mostly fair. He had been gone for three decades; so much had changed that he stopped recognizing most of his surroundings by the time he ran into Sammy in the Music Department. The trio arrived at the door to the archives, but the turnwheel was missing. Norman immediately turned around and wandered back to the turn in the hallway, going the opposite way and arriving in Grant Cohen’s office. Y/N hurried after him, walking through the door with Henry behind her, who let out a soft gasp at the manic writing all over the walls of the small office. There were numbers, complaints, and scribbles of ink everywhere. On the desk sat a tape recorder. When Norman pressed play, heavy breathing and screams sounded, echoing off the walls and making Y/N’s blood run cold.

“I remember Grant; he was the accountant, right? He was always complaining about Joey’s spending.” 

“Joey hated him. Said he had ‘no vision’. Whatever that meant. Joey was always crazy, so I just didn’t bother trying to help make him see sense.”

Norman had found the turnwheel, so the conversation was abandoned while they all returned to the door and stuck the turnwheel in place. When they walked in, lights turned on, illuminating a large stone Bendy statue with several fully formed ink people posed around it. A banner above it read **HE WILL SET US FREE** in the now familiar thick ink letters.

None of them felt inclined to remain there, so they continued on to the next room. There were books everywhere; on shelves, in stacks on the floor, and on the desk in the center of the room too. Another tape recorder sat amongst the papers too, which Henry pressed play on.

"They told me I was perfect for the role. Absolutely perfect. Now Joey's going around saying things behind closed doors. I can always tell. Now he wants to meet again tomorrow, says he has an "opportunity" for me. I'll hear him out. But if that smooth talker thinks he can double cross an angel and get away with it, well, oh he's got another thing coming. Alice, ooh she doesn't like liars." Susie’s voice was almost manic; she was definitely losing her grip by the time the audio log had been recorded. Y/N showed clear recognition of the words, so Henry waited for her to explain.

“I remember when she said this; she vented to me sometimes when I was fixing pipes in the recording booth, then she’d follow me when I finished so we could keep talking. Allison had just replaced her. She obviously didn’t take it well. I guess Malice was Joey’s opportunity.” Her voice was distant as she spoke, reminiscing on the days when everyone at the studio was human. Her eyes looked cloudy, and for a moment, it was like the old studio was reflected in them. “Anyways,” she shook her head and turned back away from the desk, “we should stay focused. How do we get past here?”

It took a few minutes, but Norman eventually pushed a book further into the shelf, causing a light above the door marked **PRIVATE** to turn on. The three then split up to find the other out of place books; when the second book was pushed in, Henry took a step back out to the first room to check for more books, then stopped short and called for Y/N.

“What is it-” she stopped at the sight of the now abandoned Bendy statue, its worshipers now gone. “-now… Where did they go?”

“I don’t know… How did they even leave? They didn’t look like the other ink creatures-”

“Searchers.”

“-right, Searchers- that we’ve seen.”

“I think those were the Lost Ones. They’re more fully formed than Searchers tend to be. I’ve only encountered them a handful of times. Let’s focus on finding those books.”

The next book they pushed in caused another strange event. The lights started flickering, the room seemed to shake, and they both saw inky hands grabbing at them from between the books. The terror lasted only a few seconds though, and everything returned to normal. Henry looked over at Y/N, who just shrugged slightly, pushed in the book next to her, and checked Norman to be sure he wasn’t freaked out. On the contrary, he was already reaching up to push in the last book, causing the door to unlock. Henry pushed the door open, allowing Y/N and Norman to go through and start walking along the wooden path.

When they reached the top, they all stopped to look at the broken machinery meant to carry them across the chasm. Luckily, there was one of Gent’s machines nearby, which Y/N recognized. 

“We need some thick ink. We won’t get across without it.”

“What exactly is ink supposed to do?”

“This,” She gestured to the machine, “is one of Gent’s machines. I used them all the time before. I even helped design it. We need thick ink to put in it. It will make the ink into a gear so we can fix the carrier system and get across.”

She turned away and walked through the nearby doorway, which led them to a large ink pipe. Y/N pulled the switch on the wall opposite the pipe, causing it to open. Then Norman turned the wheel by the pool of ink, causing a Swollen One to emerge, groaning and facing the wall. Henry carefully approached and grabbed a thick glob of ink from it, then backed away to follow Y/N back to the machine. She dumped the glob in, turned the wheel from a cup to a cog, then cranked the handle. The small machine shuddered for a moment, then spat out the newly formed cog. Y/N triumphantly picked it, moved over to the carrier, and placed the cog where it belonged. Once she pulled the lever, the carrier moved across to where she stood. Henry and Norman came closer, then she gestured for Henry to get in first.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go first?”

“I’m certain. You’re going across, then Norman, then me. I can operate the carrier and I shouldn’t have a problem reaching the lever when I’m in it. If there’s a problem and I can’t get across, take care of Norman for me while I find another way. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Henry climbed into the carrier and allowed Y/N to pull the lever, sending him across the deep chasm. Halfway across, the system jerked, stopping for a moment and spiking Henry’s anxiety. 

“What’s happening?!”

“It’s fine Stein. It’s just old. Give it a second.” Sure enough, it started moving again a moment later. Henry let out a sigh of relief, then climbed out when he reached the other side.

Norman went across next, the carrier moving without issue. When Y/N got in, she leaned over and pulled the lever. She wasn’t quite halfway when the carrier jerked again and stopped. 

“Y/N are you okay? Why did it stop again?”

“I told you, it’s old. I’ll see what I can do.” She started reaching for the cables and pulling at them, trying to get it moving again. Instead, she only managed to start the carrier swinging, making the most awful creaking and groaning sounds. Y/N got it to move again, then turned to smile triumphantly at Henry and Norman. When she did so, the carrier jerked to a stop again and the cables snapped. Y/N fell from the carrier, landing shakily on a cage hanging from a chain near her. She tried to hold on as Henry called out to her, but she’d hit her head on the cage as she landed, scratching her face on some of the rusted metal.

“I think I’m okay. Stein, Norman, stay back. I’ll find a way acro-” She let out a scream as the chain she held on to broke as well, dropping her into the inky abyss below. Norman had to hold Henry back from the edge as he yelled for her, desperate to reach her. After a few minutes spent shaking on the ground and trying to figure out their next move, Henry slowly got to his feet and motioned for Norman to follow him through the door. They could both see something at the end of the hallway moving downward, but their path was slowed a bit when everything seemed to go wrong again, arms reaching out at them from the walls as the air seemed to scream. It stopped after a few moments, just like before, so the pair made it through the hallway, reaching another wooden path around another dark pit. Just when Henry didn’t think things could get any worse, Malice made a reappearance. 

"I see you there, my little errand boy. Your angel is always watching. What is it that keeps you going? Is it the thrill of the hunt? The thirst for your freedom? or perhaps... You're just looking for a little, friendly, wolf... Better hurry errand boy. Boris is having trouble staying in one piece." The two just kept moving up the stairs, trying to block out the sound of the twisted angel taunting them. This nightmare, it seemed, would never end.


	4. Chapter Four: The Audio Logs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Henry discovers Bendyland and confronts Bertram Piedmont, Y/N has fallen to the ink and drowns in memories

_ At the bottom a worn shaft lies a deep pool of ink. The thick black substance is littered with soup cans, broken boards, and pieces of metal. The next to join the debris is the body of a woman, falling far from the world she’s grown accustomed to. Her limp, broken form falls to the ink and sinks down, down, down... _

“So first, Joey installs this Ink Machine over our heads. Then it begins to leak. Three times last month, we couldn’t even get out of our department because the ink had flooded the stairwell. Joey’s solution? An ink pump to drain it periodically.” His words were dripping with disdain, though that was hardly unusual. 

Y/N sat on the hardwood floor of the music department, tightening bolts and wiping up little drops of ink with a worn rag. Sammy Lawrence stood beside her with a stack of messy sheet music in one hand, running his fingers through his hair with the other. He was more irate than usual, a clear signal for everyone else to avoid him like the plague. Only Y/N, the unflappable mechanic, was willing to be near him; fixing the pipes and listening to his complaints, which he had no shortage of.

“Now I have this ugly pump switch right in my office. People in and out all day. Thanks, Joey. Just what I needed. More distractions. These stupid cartoon songs don’t write themselves, you know.” 

“Have you considered taking a break, Sam? I know you have music to write, but it’s not good to push yourself like this. Joey will-”

“Understand? Yeah, right. Joey is an imbecile who demands results with no regard for the work required.” The music director’s irritation was boiling over. Fortunately, Y/N was familiar enough with her friend to know the best course of action.

“How about this? When I finish up here, we can go to the recording room and play one of your old tunes together. I haven’t played my bass for a while, but I’d gladly spend my break practicing with you.”

Sammy gave a tired nod in response when she looked to him for an answer. A few minutes later, the pipes were running properly and the pair was headed for the music room to play.

_ Darkness. Nothing but darkness. And excruciating pain. What happened? Everything is sort of blank. But I was doing something, right? I was helping someone. I found someone. An old friend. I was angry with someone. Who? Why? How did I get here? _

“So I go to get my dust pan from the hall closet the other day and guess what? I can’t find my stupid keys. It’s like they disappeared into thin air or something.” Wally sat beside Y/N while she worked on some newer pipes for the machine. She still didn’t know why Joey Drew was so determined to build this thing or why she, Thomas, and Joey were the only ones who currently knew about it. Making cartoons come to life seemed like a pretty crazy dream, but Y/N just took care of the pipes; it wasn’t really her business. So she focused on talking to her friend instead.

“Again? Wally, I thought we talked about this; the safest place for your keys is where they won’t get lost. You attach them to your belt or keep them in your pocket. Where would they have gone this time?”

“All I can think of is that they must have fallen into one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week. I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I’m out of here.” He looked pleadingly at Y/N as he spoke. This wasn’t the first, second or even third time he’d lost his keys. Wally was just a bit too absentminded for Sammy’s liking, so the grumpy music director had threatened long ago to have him fired if he didn’t pull himself together. Fortunately for Wally, Y/N always ensured that the threat remained empty.

“Sammy won’t find out. Wal. I just have a little more work to do, then I’ve got to report back to Tom. After that, we’ll both go look for your keys. Deal?”

“Deal. Thanks, Y/N. You’re a lifesaver.” Wally gave her a dazzling smile. She absolutely was a lifesaver. Y/N looked at him for a moment and chuckled.

“I know, I know. I’m amazing. Now can you hand me that wrench? I’ve got a loose bolt here.”

_ The ink. It’s everywhere. It’s in me. It is me. Is it possible I was ever anything else? It still hurts. Not as much now. The ink took the pain away. The ink takes everything. It took them. Who? Who did it take? _

“I don’t be seein’ what the big deal is. So what if I went and painted some of those Bendy dolls with a crooked smile?” Shawn Flynn was tossing one of the Boris plushies back and forth from hand to hand as he sat on a chair in the break room. Y/N stood in front of him facing the dart board and preparing for her next throw. She seemed a little tired, but didn’t want to let it bother her. Shawn could always tell. She seemed to be more tired more often lately. She still listened to his ramblings during their breaks though, which he was grateful for.

“Shawn, you know I feel for you, but maybe you could have just followed instructions? Joey is pretty busy with everything here; even jokes or your tendency to mess with him will put him on edge.”

“That’s sure no reason for Mr. Drew to be flyin’ off the handle' at me. And if he really wants to be so helpful, he could be tellin’ me what I’m to be doin’ with this warehouse I got full of that angel whatchamacallit. Not a scrap of that mess be a-sellin’! Probably have to melt it all down to be rid of it all.” Shawn was still worked up, hoping that Y/N would have been on his side.

She wasn’t really on anyone’s side; she just wanted to minimize tensions and fights among her coworkers. Things had been getting weird as work on the ink machine continued: a few of the employees had gone missing; Sammy, Norman, even the gopher Buddy; something about the ink seemed off, too. Y/N couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was definitely something wrong.

“For now, Shawn, just make Bendy look right and keep your head down. I don’t think Joey needs any more reasons to give you a hard time.” The last dart in her hand landed in the center though her eyes were still trained on her friend. “Now take your turn. I have about five minutes left, so I want a little time to rub my victory in your face before I’m back to those stupid pipes.”

Shawn laughed in response, tossing Boris to Y/N and standing up with his own darts. He lost the game as he nearly always did, then sat through lighthearted teasing from Y/N. He smiled despite himself, which he found the mechanic always seemed to get him to do. Just after that, Allison called for her, warning about another burst pipe, prompting Y/N to strap her tool belt back on and head out of the break room. 

_ I can hear again. I wish I couldn’t. It’s like a screaming well of voices. All I can hear is their pain. Maybe it’s mine, too. Why? What hurt me? All I have is the memories. Why didn’t it take that, too? I am me. But not everyone else is. _

“Joey, you wanted to see me?”

“Y/N. Of course, come in.” The ink stained mechanic tentatively walked in and took a seat in front of Joey, nervously looking anywhere but at him. “Y/N, do you know why I called you in here?”

“Because you have more leaks for me to fix?” Playing dumb probably wasn’t the smartest choice, but she had to hope he would let it go. She needed more time to convince the others of what she’d learned. It was hard enough for her to understand it, let alone sum it up for anyone else.

“No. Y/N, it’s come to my attention that you’ve learned a little more about the use of my machine than I told you. I believe I was very specific about what you should know. Couldn’t you just keep your head down and follow orders? Why did you have to start investigating?”

“Joey, I-”

“You better not be starting to tell me another lie.”

Y/N gathered her thoughts for a moment. Would this really be worth it?

“I know what you’re doing. I know what you’ve already done and while I have quite a few questions that I know can’t have good answers, but my first one is this; what did you do with their bodies?” Her voice was cold. Calculated. But there were tears in her eyes. Too many of her friends were already gone. How many more would disappear?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Norman! Sammy! Buddy!” Her head snapped up to glare at her boss. Joey was either very lucky or very unlucky that everyone else had left for the day. “I know Susie went missing a few days ago too! None of them would have gone on their own. You took them! And fed them to your demented monster! I’ve felt him around; I know he’s here! What were you thinking, Drew?!”

“All I’m doing is bringing dreams to life.” The man was demented. He had to be. Y/N knew that no man in his right mind would ever do what he was planning on now.

“You’re bringing monsters out of the shadows, Drew. Why? To save the studio? Do you really think bringing cartoon characters to life by killing your coworkers will make Bendy popular again? And what are you planning on doing with that- that abomination?! The thing can’t be set loose and it shouldn’t stay here either.”

“I think your time here is done, Y/N. I can’t have you spreading these lies. The employees could start believing them and that would be bad for morale.”

“ _ Morale?!  _ Joey I’m talking about human lives! You’re insane!”

“I expect you to be gone in three days or I’ll have you escorted out. Goodbye Y/N.” His voice was perfectly calm as he told her to leave. How? How long had he been so insane? Why hadn’t Y/N seen it sooner? Why had he been able to do all of this with no one stopping him? 

With nothing left to say that would change anything, the furious mechanic stormed out of the office. Fine. If nothing else, she’d tell Tom about all this. He had to already know, but after getting herself fired, he had the best chance of stopping it. Now she would have to get another assignment from Gent. In the meantime, she would have to figure out how to leave something behind that Joey wouldn’t find. 

Back in his office, Joey Drew sat at his desk with a recorder in front of him. He’d allowed his employees too much leeway. If Y/N knew so much, what did the others know? How many whispers had centered around the company’s money or his ability to lead? Things needed to be cleared up. Now. So he sat forward, cleared his throat, and pressed play on the recorder.

“A small memo to all administration offices!” His bright, happy tone was back to convince his workers there was nothing amiss. “Rumors have begun to fly that we simply can’t tolerate any longer. The idea that the company is in some sort of financial difficulty is untrue and a slanderous lie against us. It’s also been known to me that some backroom incompetents are not trusting in my leadership. As a leader, I’m always steering the boat, guiding our destiny. Looking at the big picture. No need for you people to worry about such complicated things. Just do whatever it is you do and trust your leader… which is me.”

_ The pain is gone. The darkness is fading, too. Why? What’s changing? Am I changing? Maybe I’m dying; finally leaving this place. But doesn’t someone still need me? Aren’t I supposed to help someone? I? Who am I? I am me. But I’m not like the others. Why? _

“Alright let’s go over this again. If the pressure goes over 45, I screw the safety bolt in tighter, right?” Wally stood by the mysterious ink machine, staring between the machine itself and his two coworkers. They were trying to explain things, but he wasn’t really seeming to get it.

“No! For the last time, you do that, you’ll blow every pipe in this place!” Thomas was really losing his patience now. He hated to admit it, but he needed Wally’s help. He didn’t get along very well with the ditsy janitor and the feeling was mutual as far as anyone could tell. Y/N spoke up then to prevent further argument.

“If it reaches 45, you unhook the safety switch.” Her tone was as patient and long-suffering as always, which comforted both men.

“You sure? You know, this sounds harder than comparing ear wax to bee’s wax!” Wally was honestly trying, but the details of the mechanics here still escaped him.

“Look, it’s not that difficult! Just keep an eye on the gauge!” To Y/N’s dismay, Thomas was still taking a less friendly, less tolerant approach than his colleague. 

“Look pal, if you think I’m doing my job AND yours, I’m outta here!” Wally was getting upset now too, so Y/N stepped in again to put a stop to the bickering.

“Both of you stop. Please. Wal, Tom needs your help. Don’t tell the others, but… I’m leaving.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“I’m quitting, Wal. I’ve got to leave. But Tom can’t take care of all of this on his own, and Gent isn’t sending anyone else, so he needs you. So can you please focus and do your best to help him? If not just because you’re a good person, then because I’m asking you to?” Y/N knew the influence she had on Wally’s choices, so she used that to her advantage. She didn’t need Thomas and Wally to be friends, she just needed them to work together so she could feel a little less terrible about leaving. 

“I can try, Y/N. But- why are you leaving? You’ll still be in New York, right?”

“Of course, Wal. I’ll still live here. I just can’t work here anymore. It’s hard to explain; I just can’t stay. Tom can handle a lot of the work himself, but he can’t keep an eye on everything at once. I need you both to work with each other. I’m sorry I can’t stay.”

Wally wanted to ask her to stay or at least for a real explanation, but he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. When Y/N made a decision, her mind was made up and nothing would change it. Maybe he could try asking Thomas; Y/N’s resignation didn’t seem like news to the gruff inventor, so he must have answers. In the moment though, Wally was more worried about being there for Y/N and doing as she asked.

“I’ll do my best N/N. Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

“No, but thank you. Just listen to Tom and remind each other why you’re doing this. I’ll miss you both so much.” She pulled the two in for a quick, tight hug. Tom was only marginally uncomfortable, and Wally hugged her back just as tightly. Her coworkers knew so little about what was going on and now she couldn’t properly warn them. All she could do was hope Tom could help as she left to be reassigned by Gent.

_ At the bottom of a shaft, a body rises from the depths, more ink than human. One golden eye shines in the darkness. A goal stands in the forefront of her mind. A name. Henry Stein. The Creator. He lied to them. All of them. But Henry would set them free. Fear the Ink Demon. Beware his Prophet. _

_ “I’m coming, Stein. For you and all the others.” _


	5. Chapter Five: Forgotten Friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N reunites with Henry and they meet some fellow prisoners of the studio

Drifting through walls was a newfound skill for Y/N. Her time in the ink had changed her eye, among other things. It allowed her to see doorways of some kind in the walls, which made looking through the studio for Henry much easier. Considering the lack of mirrors, she had no idea just how many other changes had been made, but she wasn’t particularly concerned at the moment. Instead, she focused on following the directions her Searchers gave her and ignoring the small inky tendrils that had begun to surround her as she wandered the studio.

Her blood seemed to run cold when she reached level nine again, but she continued through the vents to the storage room and then to the haunted house entrance for Bendyland. She could remember coming down here in her first few months to entertain herself. Her aim had gotten quite good; even better than when she would play darts with Shawn. When she arrived, all the power was on and the doors to the haunted house were open. Just as she reached the carts, she heard a shout. 

“Boris!! No, no… What has she done to you?!”

**“Henry…”**

“Meet the new and improved Boris! I took what I wanted, and in return, I gave him so much more! And this time, there’s no Ink Demon, no escape.”

Y/N ran in, ink trailing behind her, to find Henry running from a hulking, broken Boris. His ribcage was still ripped open, and he’d been given a sort of halo attached at his shoulders.

“Boris, tear him apart! Leave nothing!!” Malice sounded crazier than ever before. She was completely unhinged and Henry was about to pay for it.

He did his best to dodge the monster that was once his friend, but with all the crates and sandbags in the way, it wasn’t easy. Boris roared each time he prepared to charge, allowing Y/N to begin seeing a pattern. Her ax was missing for now, but she could help with the pattern.

**“Henry! Duck now and roll to the left!”**

“Y/N?” Henry’s words were cut off as he followed her direction and avoided being crushed by Boris.

Without time for explanation, the two ran around the track, dodging attacks and grabbing ink globs that Boris dropped. Henry continued to distract Boris while Y/N would use the Gent machine to arm herself with a pipe and attack the not-so-friendly wolf in return. After the third strike to his chest, Boris finally fell. Y/N stood in her ink puddle and Henry leaned over just a bit to rest his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath for a moment. 

“No!!! No! No! No!... Why can’t you ever just die?!” As Boris’s body dissolved into ink and faded, Malice herself came running through the open doors of the haunted house, screaming at Henry. Just before she reached him, and before Y/N could move to protect him, a sword was thrust through her chest, stopping her in her tracks. The sword was then removed, allowing her limp body to fall to the floor. As the shock settled in, Y/N’s head lifted to find another Alice and a Boris with a mechanical arm looking at her and Henry closely.

**“Who are you?”**

“Thank you…”

The battered pair spoke at the same time, causing them to glance at each other before focusing once more on the toons in front of them.

“I think we ought to ask you both the same question.” Only Alice seemed willing to speak while Boris just glared at the two from beside her. 

**“I asked you first.”**

“Don’t you think that’s a little-” Before Henry could say ‘childish’, Alice spoke up again.

“Fair enough. I’ll be honest; I don’t actually know my name, so I’m called Alice. This is Tom.” Tom looked very unhappy to be out in the open. He also looked as far from friendly as a living cartoon wolf could get.

**“I’m Y/N. This is Henry.”** She stopped for just a moment to look around. Malice’s body had disappeared like Boris’s, but both left an ink stain behind. Though the immediate danger was gone, they weren’t out of the woods yet.  **“We should go. Do you have a safehouse? If not, I can lead you to mine. Either way, we’ll need to move fast.”**

Alice turned, leading the other three out of the haunted house and through the halls to a secluded area with a few cots, a workbench, and a little aquarium. When they arrived, Henry found a cot in a partially boarded up section and sat down on it when Alice gave an approving nod. He rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes, taking a minute to process everything he’d just been through. He couldn’t seem to even look at Y/N, which she supposed she understood.

**“Henry, you can take your time; but I need to know. Where is Norman?”** She was a little afraid to know, but she still had to ask. Was he refusing to look at her because of guilt over whatever might have happened to Norman, or because she’d become some kind of monster? Alice and Tom looked very skeptical of her too. That might just be because they were still strangers to each other, though.  **“If you can’t tell me anything right now Henry, then get some rest. You need it.”**

After what felt like an eternity of Alice studying her drawings on the walls and Tom keeping a watchful eye on both newcomers, Y/N got tired of waiting. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, allowing her mind to drift and try to better understand what the ink had changed in her.

“Can I ask you some questions while he sleeps?” Alice finally looked to Y/N and addressed her with some caution. In response, Y/N settled herself on the floor and waved the angel on.

**“Ask whatever you please. I’ve got nothing but time.”**

“Who are you exactly? You don’t look like any toon we’ve seen on the posters around here.”

**“My name is Y/N. Before the studio went under, I was a mechanic here. The ink has sort of... become part of me, I guess. I’ve been here so long that it just happened on its own.”**

“Do you still remember others from before the ink? None of the rest of us seem to.”

**“Yeah, I remember. I remember every interaction with the others. Every game of darts with Shawn the toymaker; every vent session with Susie Campbell, actress and slight drama queen. I remember every lunch spent practicing music with Sammy, my favorite grumpy composer; and every time I covered for the forgetful janitor Wally Franks. Most of all, I remember working alongside the brightest man I’ve ever met; my best friend; Thomas Connor.”**

“Why didn’t you become what the rest of us are?”

**“Not sure.”** Tom moved over to sit on his cot, Alice on hers, with Y/N sitting in her puddle. Her inky tendrils seemed to put the toons on edge, but the shadowy aura stayed close and didn’t touch them.  **“I didn’t go into the ink machine, and I even stopped working here about a week before everyone disappeared for good. I had come back to check on Wally and Thomas; they never got along very well and I wanted to make sure they were able to take care of the work I had to leave behind. What I found here was a lot of ink stains and other evidence of the monsters I’d found out about before leaving. I knew I had to help, and I just never left again.”**

As Alice asked more questions and Y/N did her best to answer them, the two women grew more comfortable with each other. Tom fell asleep at some point, woke up, listened to another of Y/N’s stories, then fell asleep again. Hours later, Alice was yawning and trying to keep her eyes open.

**“You should get some sleep, Alice. I can keep watch. Nothing will get to any of you so long as I’m here.”**

“Are you sure? Don’t you need sleep too?”

**“I’ll be fine. I’ve found that the ink attached to my body keeps me running just fine. Now that I’m more ink than human, I’m sure I’m alright. Before you sleep though, why don’t you ask me the question you’ve been sitting on for hours?”**

Alice took a deep breath, readying herself for whatever answer she might receive. Then she looked at Tom for a moment and returned her gaze to Y/N.

“Do you know who I might have been before I became Alice? And if you do, do you know what my life was like?”

**“From what I can tell, you were- and still are- Allison Pendle. Though, technically, it’s Allison Connor. You were a voice actress. When Drew wanted a way to hurt Susie and convince her to do whatever he asked, he hired you to take over as the voice of Alice Angel. You did a good job. And you were an amazing friend and coworker. Everyone liked you except for Susie. Wally thought you were great because you helped me hide his forgetfulness a lot. You and I were the only ones Thomas ever really liked. I was his best friend and you married him.”**

“I was married?”

**“Yep.”** A wistful smile passed over her face. She could practically still hear the wedding bells. She’d been Thomas’s best woman; unorthodox of course, but Thomas didn’t want it any other way and Y/N was happy to oblige. Allison and Tom had been a wonderful couple; a match made in heaven.  **“You were both so happy to be together. I always hoped I’d find something like that someday. I’m afraid it’s pretty much out of the picture now, though. You calmed him down like no one else could, and you supported him no matter what. You knew about as much about the ink machine as he and I did; he told you everything. Is there anything else you want to know before you collapse?”** There was a light, friendly tone that hadn’t been heard in her voice in far too long. Allison had always brought that out of her; she was such an amazing young woman.

“I just have one more question. What did Joey convince Susie to do?”

**“He needed a soul for his living toon idea to work. The first time we tried to make something, we only succeeded in creating the Ink Demon. Thomas and I figured out that the problem was the lack of a soul, so Drew drove Susie past her breaking point. The worst part is that it wasn’t even all that hard; he just took away Alice and the consequences destroyed her. Sammy had less time for her because he needed to work with you, she was out of the spotlight, and she felt like everyone had turned against her. When Drew approached her with an ‘opportunity’ to become Alice forever, she took it. I should have stopped her; I should have seen it sooner. But I didn’t”**

When she’d finished, Y/N saw that Tom was in a deep sleep and Allison was drifting off too. She gently spread a blanket over each of them, then walked back to where Henry lay. His blanket was wrapped around his legs, his mouth was slightly open, and he had one arm slung off the cot and resting on the ground just below him. When Y/N moved to pull the pen from his hand and the papers from around him, he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Y/N sat on the edge of the cot, so Henry sat up and finally looked at her.

**“Did you sleep well? You certainly needed it.”**

“Yeah. I feel better than before, that’s for sure. What happened to you? Or should I not ask?”

**“The ink healed me; helped me. I’m different than before.”**

“Yeah, I can see that much. How much of it can you explain to me?” The tired animator wanted to be there for the strange sort of friend he’d made, but he wasn’t sure how. She had proven to be sensitive about some things and the last thing he wanted after whatever had happened was to make her mad at him again.

**“I don’t have a perfect idea, but I know that my eye is different. It got scratched when I fell from the carrier, and when I finally sank into the ink, it was changed. I can see things I couldn’t before, like messages on the walls that I’m not familiar with, and doorways in the walls I can travel through. I’ll have to just show you that later if I need to. I also have a sort of ink aura around me now. I’m not sure how or why. But it’s like the-”**

“Ink Demon. Yeah. You should know, whatever the ink did, you have horns now. Not like Alice; like him.” Henry looked away for a moment before deciding to just tell her. “Look, Y/N. I know you’ve been waiting to know where Norman is, and I’m so sorry, but I promise I did everything I could to keep him safe. He… The Ink Demon cornered us. We were turning on all the power to the haunted house. It was the last one. All we had to do was walk through some ink, up some stairs, and pull a lever. But he found us. I thought maybe we could outrun him, but Norman knew better. He shoved me into a Little Miracle Station, closed the door, and faced Bendy himself. I couldn’t help him, but I really did try. I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

Her shoulders slumped at the news. Her new aura was agitated, spreading and covering the small area in near darkness before receding and curling around her again. A glowing tear fell from her left eye, and an ink one fell from her right. Her breathing was short and labored for a moment as she fought back a sob. Then she looked back to the animator, her horns sharp and a steely look in her eyes once more.

**“You couldn’t have stopped it, Henry. What matters now is that Bendy- and his** **_Prophet-_ ** **had better watch out. As soon as you’re well rested and ready to go, I’m putting an end to this.”**

“What if he’s too powerful? Y/N neither of us have ever faced him before; we beat Malice and Boris, but this is different.”

Her steel gaze turned to a sketch of Bendy on the ground and her voice sank into the lower tone it had taken on from the ink, filled with more determination than Henry could remember ever having heard before.

**“Then I’ll die trying.”**


	6. Chapter Six: The Lost Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All safehouses are left behind as Y/N and her friends set out to stop the Ink Demon.

When both toons were well rested and awake once more, Y/N went out scouting with her Searchers. Henry filled them in on what they needed to know, then they had nothing to do but wait. Tom still didn’t seem too fond of Henry, but Allison kept everything calm. A few hours were spent drawing, making light conversation, and staring at the ceiling before small inky tendrils announced Y/N’s return. She had a few Searchers following her closely, but they sank into their puddles at the entrance to the safehouse and left.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Henry knew Y/N was determined to take down Bendy now, but she also needed some time to process everything and figure things out.

**“I suppose so. We need to keep going further if we’re going to stop him. How quickly can we get moving?”** She directed her question to the toons, considering Henry had nothing to organize or bring with him. 

“It shouldn’t take us long to get ready. Maybe ten minutes.”

**“And you’re all certain that you want to do this? I’ve made this my fight, but I can do this alone; I don’t want to force any of you to risk your life.”**

“Y/N, we’re with you. It’s our fight too. We’ve all been hurt and we’re done hiding from the Ink Demon.” Allison was adamant about her position, and Henry and Tom nodded in agreement. The mechanic had been alone long enough; this fight was for all of them. Y/N looked at each of them for a moment, then nodded once and looked down.

**“Let’s get everything together, then. There’s another passage here, so we’ll go through there. Tom, Allsion, you both have what you need, right?”** When she received a nod of confirmation, she continued.  **“Good. Henry, you should be fine without a weapon, just stay close. Don’t wander.”**

The toons and animator followed the mechanic through a doorway, moving some boards and sloshing through more ink as they went. Y/N took the lead followed closely by Henry, then Allison, and Tom brought up the rear. Y/N seemed to be listening for something or looking critically at the walls as they went, studying her surroundings as she always did. After taking a few twists and turns, they came to a room connected to a sea of ink. A boat rested on a ramp with a release switch next to it. Another empty ramp sat beside it and there were massive stains of ink on every wall and surface. 

**“Tom, Allison, how do you feel about a boat ride?”**

“Y/N, are you sure about this?” Henry was a bit concerned about what the ink might do to his companions, but Y/N just threw the lever to release the boat. It slid down halfway, then Y/N had to pull the lever again.

“Y/N, do you know where this leads?”

**“I’ve got a decent idea. I’ve only been there once or twice myself, but I know my Searchers have gone there plenty of times. Now,”** The boat plopped into the river and she looked at her friends.  **“Get in the boat or turn back.”**

Tom was the first to listen, clambering into the boat and holding out a hand to help Allison in. She took his hand and climbed in, followed by Henry. When they were all in, Y/N jumped in and started the motor. The boat began moving through the black river into the huge stone tunnel. There was no turning back now. None of them knew a path away from here that didn’t lead to Bendy. 

Before long, the boat stalled and stopped moving. Henry looked around quickly, terrified of what might be lurking beneath, when his fear was proved reasonable. A giant gloved hand raised up out of the ink, moving towards the boat. Tom looked to the paddlewheel and started swinging. Henry was about to ask what he was doing, but then he noticed the clumps of thick ink keeping the paddlewheel from turning. When the clumps were gone, Y/N shoved the handle forward again, sending the boat away from the inky hand and further into the dark tunnels.

When the ink clogged the boat a second time, Y/N moved to the back and grabbed the ink globs, allowing them to sink into her before telling Allison to keep the boat moving. After that, everytime ink started building up, Y/N jammed her hand into the paddlewheel to envelop it and keep going. Henry and Tom kept watch as the boat chugged through the river, twisting through the tunnels and allowing them all to take in the worn bricks and chunks of debris floating in the ink. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the tunnel opened up. There were little shacks on stilts sticking out of the ink, and more buildings on the shore. 

The boat pulled up and stopped at the dock, leaving the hand behind and allowing the four misfits to climb out. Once everyone was on solid ground, they took a minute to look around. Beside a stone Bendy statue the words  **DOWN HERE WE’RE ALL SINNERS** were scrawled across the wood slats of a fence. On each building, more messages were written;  **IT’S TIME TO BELIEVE** , **HE WILL SET US FREE** . After a moment, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the boarded up entryway with a poster across the top reading  **NOT MONSTERS** . On one side a fence read  **THE CREATOR LIED TO US** while on the other one read  **WHAT AM I?**

**“There’s something else.”** Y/N mumbled to herself as she looked at the doorway and closed one eye so only the glowing one was open. 

“Y/N? What are you doing?” Henry was getting a bad feeling here.

“What do you see?” Allison had come closer, unable to see what Y/N could.

**“The words. They change. You can see it says ‘Not monsters’, but I can see another message. It says,”** She took a deep breath and cleared her throat,  **“it says ‘Once people, now fallen into despair’.”**

Unsure of what to do, Henry walked toward the boards. Just as he reached them though, an ax came swinging through as an enraged voice shouted. 

**_“BETRAYED!!! ABANDONED!!”_ ** Sammy Lawrence came out from behind the boards wielding an ax and a great deal of anger.  **_“I trusted you! I gave you everything…”_ ** He ran at Henry, swinging his ax and ranting before Y/N or the toons could even react. 

**_“...and you left me to rot!! ...why? WHY!?”_ ** Y/N tossed Henry a pipe lying on the ground and ran after Sammy, trying to get his attention. When Henry hit him, Sammy’s mask broke, falling to the ground and causing him to stop and cover his face, begging the four not to look at him. Y/N approached him carefully, her hands out, motioning for the others to stay back. When she got close enough, Sammy lunged forward and shoved her down, towering over her with his ax. 

**_“You lied to me!”_ **

**“Sam, stop! It’s Y/N! You know me, you really do.”** Henry and the toons wanted to help, but they had a strong sense that they were supposed to stay where they were, so they watched from the side. Y/N continued when Sammy stopped for a moment.  **“Sam. Sammy. I know the ink has done a number on you, but you know me, right?”**

**_“Your face. It’s almost familiar. But you… you resemble my Lord. How?”_ **

**“I can talk to you if you put the ax down Sammy. Just listen to me.”**

For a moment, it appeared that Sammy was going to follow her wishes. His arm lowered, he looked down at her; but then something came over him and he brought the ax up again. 

**_“You said I’d be free! Well, I’m going to free you now! Free your head right off your shoulders!”_ ** The ax was high above her now, Sammy was enraged again, and she didn’t know what could keep her friends safe if she died now.  **_“Sheep, sheep, sheep... it’s time for…”_ **

“Sleep!” Henry dug the ax into Sammy’s ink head, causing the musician’s body to drop. Sammy slowly began to melt away while Henry ripped the ax back out and allowed Y/N to grab the one Sammy dropped. Allison and Tom looked surprised, meaning they had no idea Henry had an ax with him.

**“How long have you had that?”**

“I found it in the safehouse.” Henry had a small, almost proud smile on his face. “Thought it might be useful.”

Y/N let out an incredulous laugh. Henry had just saved her life. She let her eyes drift over the last of Sammy’s ink as it sank into the ground. He had been so important to her; not always a great man, but a good friend no matter what. And now he was truly gone. Unfortunately, there was no time for mourning. Everything in the cavern started shaking, then stopped after a minute as the four looked at each other in fear. 

“Was that ‘him’?”

“I don’t think so…”

**“The Lost Ones built this place.”**

“Sammy must have been keeping them at bay. Now that he’s gone-” Allison pulled out her sword as the other three adjusted their grip on their axes. “Looks like we’re in for a fight.”

A horde of Lost Ones came out of the buildings, nearly overwhelming the group who stood back to back. All of them swung at their inky enemies, trying their best to stay together and unharmed. Henry and Allison got separated from Y/N and Tom at some point, leaving them in pairs to fight for their lives. When Henry was hit in the head with a board and fell to his knees, Y/N decided she’d had enough. 

Unsure of what exactly she was doing, she grabbed hold of the next Lost One she axed and let the ink flow to her instead of into the ground. Her glowing eye seemed to get brighter and her inky tendrils spread out wide. Allison, seeing what was starting to happen, stabbed another Lost One and shoved it towards her while Tom helped give her some space. Before long, half a dozen Lost Ones had fallen to Y/N. Her tendrils curled around the other attacking Lost Ones, trapping them as the shadows became physical. Her eye was like a beacon, brighter than ever, as she let out a scream and every last figure tensed and dissipated. All the ink flowed to the fierce mechanic, blocking her friends’ view of her entirely. When it flowed away and sank into the ground, she stood completely covered, nearly a shadow. Both eyes now glowed, one blue while the other remained yellow, as she stared straight ahead. Her horns were now accompanied by a devil’s tail and a white bowtie. She was practically the spitting image of the Ink Demon. The only major difference aside from her face was the overalls and weaponry that remained. Her old toolbelt was still fastened around her waist and there were a few cleaner spots on her overalls to show they were still there. 

“Y/N…” Allison’s voice betrayed the awe and slight fear she felt at the sight of her friend’s new form. “...what did you do?”

**“The ink. I called to it. And I guess it listened.”**

No one moved for a minute, processing everything that had just happened. Y/N’s heart ached for the loss of Norman and Sammy, even with all that Sammy had done. The two men had been among her best friends; they were family to her. Sammy had always acted like a frustrated brother, teasing her about mess ups, but defending her if anyone bothered her. And Norman was almost a father; inviting her to dinner with himself and his wife, talking with her in the projector booth, and keeping her up to date on what happened in the shadows. Her coworkers meant the world to her, and nothing they did could change that. The only one she despised was Joey. And when she got out of this, Joey would face the full force of her wrath. Either with her new inky tendrils or with her bare hands, she would kill that twisted monster. All she had to do first was stop the Ink Demon.


	7. Chapter Seven: Enter The Ink Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sammy out of the picture, the only thing standing between Y/N and her freedom is Bendy

**“Let’s get moving. Who wants to go first?”** Y/N gestured to the doorway to the left of Sammy’s little sanctuary. Henry took the lead, hacking away a board in front of them and stopping for a moment at the boards leading over a drop. Henry really didn’t like the look of the boards or the darkness beneath, remembering losing Y/N and the panic he’d felt. 

He looked back to her, silently asking to find another way, but Y/N wasn’t listening. She just flicked her tail behind her and gestured for him to continue. Henry wanted to argue, but her now glowing eyes were no less intimidating than when they first met.

“Are you sure about this? It doesn’t feel right.”

“Nothing here really does, Henry. Do you want me to go first?”

“No, I’m fine. I can do it.” 

So Henry took the first step, carefully moving across one board and then the next. When he was in the middle of the second board though, it broke. He nearly screamed as he fell, everything falling into darkness again. He could hear Y/N and Allison scream his name, but they couldn’t reach him. He finally hit the ground, landing in more ink. Then he got up to start investigating on his own.

**“HENRY!!”**

He couldn’t get lost. Not now. She’d come too far to help him just to lose him now. She had to find him.

“Y/N, listen! We can still get to him.”

**“How? Allison, tell me what to do. Please.”** Y/N never asked for someone to give her orders. Not when she was human, or when she started to be taken by the ink. But she hadn’t felt lost like this since she first started figuring out Joey’s plans.

“We both have some rope, right? We,” Allison looked around before her eyes landed on a sturdy looking portion of wood, “we can tie the rope here, then climb down and see where Henry went. Okay?”

Y/N nodded after a moment, trying to keep it together. She knew that she couldn’t afford to fall apart now. She’d lost too many friends, too many years, too much everything. She’d get Henry back and then the four of them would fight Bendy together and free everyone. 

The trio got to work tying the rope and deciding their order of descent while Henry wandered around Administration alone, figuring out what he needed to do next. The room was somewhat familiar to him, the worn posters bringing back memories of late nights spent drawing Bendy, Boris, and Allison over and over again. He was hardly even able to see Linda with his long hours. It just stopped feeling like it was worth it, so he left.

Henry continued over to the counter, then went around to the door. Right inside was a switch that opened the administration offices once he pulled it. Then he took a minute to look over to the door labeled Film Vault. The door was unlocked, so he went through and looked at the pipes, finding a few of them to be missing. A smaller area beside it held a desk and chair with an audio log resting on it. Henry pressed play and let the voice filter through the room.

“Progress report to Gent Home Office. Client: Joey Drew Studios.” Thomas. He really hadn’t left much behind, but at least this was something. “Although we're making progress, the client's expectations keep changing. What started as a machine to simply mold life-size figures, now seems to be teetering on the edge of magic more than engineering.” 

“Although Mr. Drew remains convinced they're the same thing.” Y/N? She’d never left an audio log behind before. “The process of running the cartoon film through the machine for the figures to imprint upon themselves is going well. We've had several near successes.”

“One weird note: the first figure ever created was a failed attempt in the likeness of the character called "Bendy". Since that time, no other attempts of this particular figure have emerged. And the one that did... I don't know, there's just something unworldly about him”

The tape clicked off, leaving Henry in silence for a moment. Y/N was there for the creation of the Ink Demon. She obviously hadn’t known the extent of what was happening at the time, but she was there. The old animator shook his head softly and focused on figuring out how to replace the missing pipes and move forward.

**“Careful, Allison. Here; take my hand.”** Y/N helped Allison off the rope and swung her around to land on the floor free of ink. Tom stood there as well, his ax still in hand as he waited to continue on. Once Y/N climbed out of the ink, the trio moved forward, looking around at the chairs, posters, and flickering lights. The door marked Film Vault was open, but when they looked in, no one was there. Just as Tom turned back, Henry came running out of the Administration offices, a glob of thick ink in hand. He barely registered their presence at first, more focused on throwing the ink into the nearby Gent machine and cranking it until a pipe dropped out of it. Once he had the pipe in hand, Henry looked over to see Y/N, Tom, and Allison watching him.

**“Henry, what happened?”**

“The board broke, but I think we need to visit the vault, so I’m replacing the pipes to clear the hallway there. This is the last one. Come on.”

Once the last pipe was in place, the small hallway between the office and the vault entrance cleared and Y/N opened the door. Tom closed the door behind them, but everyone stopped in their tracks at the sight of the vault door. It had been ripped off of its hinges, lying on the ground splattered with ink instead. There were a few crates of film reels by the entrance, but no one paid them any mind. 

“It looks like whatever was here was taken long ago.” Allison looked around at the walls and shelves, many of the reels destroyed by the ink.

“The Ink Demon has something that we need…” Henry seemed to be piecing things together, but the others still weren’t sure.

**“It’s time to go after him. No more hiding; no more running. This ends now.”** The ink had made her voice a bit deeper than before; by now, it was nearly unrecognizable. She was still angry and ready for the fight of her life, and her friends weren’t about to abandon her now.

Allison sized up the door for a minute, strategizing how to open it. As she was about to explain what she needed though, Tom moved past her and simply punched the door as hard as he could, effectively breaking it open. Henry gave Y/N a ‘that’ll do’ look before they all ventured through the vault. 

Inside, everything looked like the studio above. The walls, the posters, even the projectors were all there. The light from the projectors reminded Y/N of Norman, so she turned away as her aura of ink nearly choked the light out entirely. After taking a few turns and passing an old drawing desk, the group came upon more of the studio divided by glass. The darkness from the ink aura seemed to double, but before anyone could ask about it the Ink Demon himself came stalking down the hallway on the other side of the glass. 

He took slow, limping steps with his mangled legs, ink dripping from his face as he continued on mindlessly. Everyone stood perfectly still, afraid to disturb him and let him know they were there. After what felt like an eternity, he and his aura disappeared, allowing the whole group to let out a breath and glance at each other in relief. Then they continued down the hall, seeing the word  **DEATH** with an arrow beneath it pointing in the direction they were headed. Once they turned the corner, the hall opened up into a huge cavern. 

In the center was the biggest machine any of them had ever seen. The ink machine Henry had turned on was amateur hour compared to this. It had ink dripping from its ginormous pipe and flowing down to a moat of ink separating the machine from the people who planned to destroy it. There was a door leading into it labeled with the company name Gent.

“Wow!” Allison was in awe of what she was seeing. “I’ve never seen this before! I don’t see any way around… nothing to build a raft with.” 

Y/N’s heart fell as she realized what this meant. 

**“We’ll have to wade across…”**

“What’s wrong with that? We’ve gotten plenty messy already.”

**“They can’t.”**

“We’re not like you, Henry. Or Y/N. If we go in there, well... “ Allison searched for the right words as she turned back to face Henry and Y/N.

**“A drop of water in the ocean is rarely seen again. It’s up to us, Henry. You and me.”**

“Good luck, you two. If anyone can set us free, it’s you.” Allison and Y/N hugged each other comfortingly for just a moment before Y/N turned to Henry again and beckoned him forward.

The animator and mechanic waded into the waist deep ink, steeling their nerves for the coming battle. They’d both lost their axes along the way, so they were unarmed and underprepared. Nevertheless, they braved the danger, climbing out of the ink and up the steps into the source of all their troubles and pain. While they walked down the hallway, Y/N looked at the glass chambers they passed, ink in some, partially formed figures in others. She didn’t want to think about what may have happened in each chamber, so she looked straight ahead to the big door they were approaching. Henry pulled the lever when they got there, opening the door and allowing them to see what lay in the middle of the machine. 

A great big throne sat in the center with chains draped around it. A mess of ink surrounded it on the floor, while massive projector screens played cartoons from all through the years of the studio. Ink dripped behind each screen and the lighting was dim, giving it an even more unsettling appearance. A few items around the throne caught Henry’s eye, and the both continued forward to investigate. Y/N pressed play on the tape recorder while Henry took a look at the projector on the other side of the throne. 

"It's simply awe-inspiring what one can accomplish with their own hands! A lump of clay can turn to meaning... if you strangle it with enough enthusiasm. Look what we've built! We created life itself, Henry! Not just on the silver screen, but in the hearts of those we've entertained with our fancy moving pictures! But... when the tickets stopped selling, when the next big thing came along, only the monsters remained. Shadows of the past. But you can save them, Henry! You can peel it all away! You see, there's only one thing Bendy has never known: He was there for his beginning, but he's never seen... The End."

Y/N was speechless after hearing Joey’s words. He was completely and totally insane. He’d had so much potential to do something incredible with his life, and instead he’d squandered it. He’d ruined dozens of other lives in the process. Still in a stupor, the worn out mechanic looked over at Henry. He’d reached forward to pick up a single film reel resting on the seat of the dark throne. 

Just at that moment, Y/N had a realization and Bendy appeared from behind the throne, seeming to glare at Henry and growl. His thin, twisted ink form started to grow, becoming more monstrous and terrifying than ever before. He let out a horrifying roar and swiped at Henry, knocking him to the ground before turning on Y/N. She had to think fast, but by the time she blinked, Things had changed. Bendy was sprinting through the grid-like halls lined with more glass chambers building new ink figures. Through Y/N’s yellow eye, she could see glowing arrows on the floor pointing in a path she had to follow. 

She grabbed Henry by the arm and dragged him along, following the arrows and pulling levers as she reached them. Once she’d pulled all of them, Henry found the door it was supposed to open and ran towards it, not noticing for just a moment that Y/N wasn’t by his side. When he heard Bendy roar again, he stopped and whirled around. His heart nearly stopped as he watched Y/N run towards Bendy, then stop right in front of him.  _ What is she thinking?! She’ll get herself killed! _

**“Bendy! Stop!”** The nearly fearless mechanic was ready to faint, but she sprinted to Bendy and stopped in front of him. The monster stopped as well, breathing hard and growling under his breath.  **“Bendy, listen. You know me, right? I know you don’t have a soul, but you’ve got a brain, don’t you? You remember me; I was there when you came to life.”**

Bendy seemed to understand, letting his feet touch the ground and his floppy horns to droop a bit. Maybe this plan could actually work.

**“All you ever wanted was to be loved, right? But Joey; he shut you out. Locked you up. All because you weren’t exactly what he expected. He did this to you. But this isn’t all you can be. All you need is a soul. So take mine.”**

“Y/N! NO!” Henry tried to run to his friend, but her inky tendrils wrapped around him, trapping him against the wall; all he could do was watch.

**“I’ve got nothing else to do with my life. I’ve been trapped down here for so long, I don’t think living with people again could even be an option. But if you take my soul and become the perfect Bendy- become what you were meant to be- then you’ll be free of Joey Drew forever. We all will. So what do say, Bendy? Will you let our dreams come to life?”**

To Henry’s horror, Bendy sat down and reached out to Y/N. Her glowing eyes closed and her tail settled, then hung limp behind her for the first time since she got it. Her horns seemed to droop like Bendy’s and her aura pulsated. Bendy reached her, his massive hand wrapping around her as their ink flowed together and encircled them completely. Henry dropped to the floor, catching his breath before trying to move closer. The mass of ink glowed, shining so brightly Henry was forced to cover his eyes and look away. 

After what Henry was sure was an eternity, the light faded and the ink sank into the floor just like before. The aged animator had seen plenty of things in his life, many strange ones in the last few days especially, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him.

“Y/N…”

**_“You know what my name is, Henry. After all, you created me. How you been old friend?”_ **


	8. Chapter Eight: The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens now the Bendy is what he was created to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the notes at the end of this chapter for a message from me about this story!

**_“Henry? Are you alright?”_ **

“How… How?”

**_“I know it must be a bit of a shock. Neither of us were sure it would actually work. But it’s alright; we’re both here.”_ **

Henry’s brain was about to explode. Everything about this place was already nuts, and now his friend had just  _ become _ the cartoon character he’d created three decades ago. Why did all this have to happen to him?

“Both? Y/N is still there? She’s not gone completely?”

**_“She’s not gone at all, Henry. She knew what had to happen; she was the only one actually. Her soul and my character were a perfect match from the start. Something about our compatibility saved both of us, so yes; she’s still here.”_ **

Henry sat on the hard floor of the ink machine, trying to process everything. He’d lost so many people and gone through so much, and the answer to it all was with him the whole time. Why had Y/N been the only one to figure it out? From the audio logs, Thomas and Joey both knew that Bendy needed a soul, so why hadn’t they done anything about it?

While Henry had his existential crisis, Bendy explored the ink machine. His memories were a little hazy after melding with Y/N’s soul, so he was working to make sense of the directions. As far he could tell, they had two options. One: find their way out of the ink machine and get Tom and Allison so all five of them could work out a plan together, or two: get the film reel labeled The End and figure out what Joey meant when he talked about Bendy not knowing the end. Bendy kept looking around at all the hallways and glass cases of ink while Henry’s absent ramblings faded from his mind. 

Y/N was half aware of how stupid her plan was when she had no guarantee that it could work. She easily could have died, leaving Henry to fight the Ink Demon alone. But, luckily, her reasoning was correct and she was now one with Bendy. The terrifying monster was now the little dancing demon he was created to be and Henry was safe. All she had to do now was get Henry and the others out of the cursed studio.

**_“Hey, Henry? Are you ready to get moving now?”_ **

“I guess… What’s the plan now? How are we getting out?”

**_“Y/N has an idea. I’ll let her explain.”_ **

**“We need to go back to Bendy’s room.”** Henry’s eyes widened a bit at the familiar sound of the mechanic’s voice. It was strange to hear her from the smiley little toon, but oddly comforting too.  **“You heard Joey; he wanted you to show Bendy the end. So, maybe, if he sees it all of this will be over. Where’s the film reel?”**

Henry handed it over as the pair reached the throne again. Bendy settled in and put the reel in place. One by one, each screen went blank and switched to the last cartoon Joey Drew Studios premiered. Henry stood beside the throne, wholly focused on the animation, reliving for a moment his years at the studio spent drawing and navigating his coworkers’ shenanigans. So much time had passed, but the little devil darling and his mischievous friends were still a sweet comfort to him. He was so distracted by the animations that he didn’t notice the increasing light until it was nearly blinding and he was forced to cover his eyes again. 

When the lighting returned to normal again, Y/N shook her head to clear her mind.  _ What happened? Bendy? Where are you?  _ A voice that was decidedly  _ not _ Bendy spoke up and interrupted her thoughts.

“Y/N? Kid, are you okay?”  _ Norman? But… wasn’t he…? _

“...Norman?...”

“It’s me, kid. What did you do to yourself? You looked pretty rough when we found you, so we tried to clean you up.”

“...we?”

“Heya, Y/N! Been a long time.”

“Wally!” Y/N shot up from her lying position, then fell backwards and held her head tightly, letting out a pained groan.

“Take it easy, N/N! We think ya took a pretty hard hit before we found ya. Stay down.”

Wally, as smiley and happy as Y/N remembered, sat on the floor beside the couch where she’d been laid. Norman stood by the arm of the couch where her head rested, looking a little concerned, but generally happy to see her awake. The three were back in the break room in the studio. The dartboard was still on the wall, there were still the creaky wooden chairs at the table, and there was even still a stray Boris plushie on the table where Shawn must have left it. But how had this happened? Hadn’t they all been taken by the ink?

Norman took notice of Y/N’s concern and confusion, so he tried to explain. 

“You’ve been out cold for about an hour now, Y/N. We were startin’ to worry you wouldn’t wake up. Now that we know you’re still kickin’, can you help us fill in some blanks?”

Allison poked her head in the doorway at the top of the stairs, smiled when she saw Y/N, then disappeared. She came hurrying down the steps a moment later with Susie, Sammy, Thomas, and Shawn right behind her. The seven smiling friends circled around her, expressing their joy at seeing her again and their relief at her apparent recovery. When the excitement died down and Y/N took a moment to breathe, she looked at each of them and asked for an explanation.

“We were hoping you could help with that, Y/N. The last thing each of us remembers is how we were lost to the ink. I don’t got a clue what happened after Joey crammed me into Boris’ body. I think Susie got me, but I can’t be sure.”

Susie blushed deeply at Wally’s words, clearly embarrassed by her actions and unwilling to discuss them further. Each of Y/N’s friends described their last memories before waking up at their respective work stations more confused than they could have imagined. Her heart broke for them and all the things she was sure she could have done to help them sooner. When they were finished, Wally insisted that she explain a few things herself; namely why she had quit at the studio. She obliged when Norman and Shawn agreed with the janitor, though she left out some of the darker details. Finally, when everyone had talked through whatever they could, Wally and Thomas each draped one of Y/N’s arms over their shoulders to help her stand and leave the break room. 

The whole group headed out to the familiar studio halls, relieved as could be at the fresh posters and lack of horrifying ink scrawls. Despite Y/N’s complaints that she could walk just fine on her own, her best friends continued to support her, insisting that she would collapse without them. When they reached the main room, Y/N stopped short, her eyes fixed on the words on the wall:  **_Henry Stein Studios (est. 1929)_ **

“Henry Stein Studios? But-”

“What about Joey? None of us know yet. When Bendy saw the end, everything went back; it’s 1930 right now and apparently the studio is mine.” Henry stood in the doorway to the drawing department, smiling softly. He didn’t look like the Henry that Y/N had become so familiar with, but that was because he was thirty years younger and wasn’t on the verge of a complete breakdown. “It’s good to see you up and about Y/N; relatively speaking.” There was humor in his voice as he gestured to the young men acting as crutches for her. 

Y/N let a bright, wide smile settle on her face for the first time in years. Her laugh sounded like music, filled with joy instead of thinly veiled bitterness. She nudged past her best friends, taking shaky steps to Henry before wrapping him in a rib-crushing hug and continuing to laugh for a few seconds. 

“Henry, I can’t possibly tell you how good it feels to see you.”

“I’ve got to say, you look less menacing when you’re not made of ink with glowing eyes. You do look like you went swimming in the stuff, though.”

Y/N finally took a moment to look over herself, finding that she was indeed inky and dirty. Her tool belt was relatively clean, but her overalls and boots were surely covered in stains forever. She ran a hand through her hair, finding that there was plenty of ink there too. Y/N began to laugh again in spite of herself; full force, doubled over laughing, tears in her eyes and unfiltered joy on her face. 

When she’d composed herself enough to speak, she replied, “Who cares? I can wash it out. I want to know something, which I’m hoping one of you can help with. Where is Joey, and how soon can I beat the crap out of him?”

***********

“We’re gathered here today to celebrate the end of a grand project that brought us all together. Even though the years have taken us in countless different directions, we’ve all managed to come back again for this special occasion. We made a good run and created everlasting memories. And now it’s time to say goodbye.” Henry Stein stood in the front entrance of the old, worn down animation studio in New York City, surrounded by his old coworkers. 

Thomas and Allison Connor stood with their beautiful daughter and always smiling son. Sammy and Susie Lawrence were behind them with their loving twin daughters. Norman Polk stood next to Lacie Benton and Dot and Daniel Lewek. Shawn Flynn, Jack Fain, and Grant Cohen stood with their families near the back. And right up front next to Linda Stein stood Y/N and Wally Franks with their brilliant sons and daughter. 

Each former employee of the studio had gone their own way, finding families and jobs that filled their lives with laughter and fun. Thomas and Y/N had started a company of their own, improving the ideas that Gent had always brushed aside. Wally had set up a handyman service, which the Franks and Connor children had worked at on weekends, while spending their weekday afternoons tinkering with inventions of their own or singing with Allison. Allison and Susie had both been hired by another studio to do voice acting, remaining close friends through the decades. Norman, Shawn, and all the others had moved on to their own jobs as well, staying in contact all the while.

Now, after thirty-odd years, Henry Stein Studios was closing. Everyone had work to do and Henry himself wanted more time with his family. His beloved characters, adored by many, lived on with each and every person who worked on them. Under his sane and caring leadership, Bendy and his friends had been a huge hit for twenty-five years or so. They slowly faded from the public eye as they were bound to eventually, but many people still remembered them fondly. If anyone asked, which no one did, none of them knew who Joey Drew was or what became of him; but if someone were to find a garbage man who complained of some fantastical life he led before a woman with unmatched rage pounded him into the ground, then that was just life as far as they were concerned. 

“I want to thank you all for supporting me and joining Bendy and his friends on an unforgettable adventure. I would like to think I speak for everyone here when I say that we’ve been through our darkest hours together and returned to the light with reason to smile all thanks to our unstoppable mechanic; Y/N Franks. The person most deserving of our praise and celebration is her.” Everyone raised their glasses and cheered in response, Wally loudest of all as the woman of the hour stood with a flushed face and a humble smile. Henry gestured for her to come speak for a moment, so she glanced at her husband to quiet him before joining her former boss at the front of the room. 

“Thank you, all of you. I can’t describe the profound impact you’ve all made on my life, and the courage you gave me to right the most horrible wrong. Thanks to all of us, we turned this place from a cage of nightmares into a haven where dreams actually came true. We loved and laughed here,” she glanced over at her dear husband, then at her best friend and his wife, “we cried and we lost here,” her eyes drifted to Norman, Susie, Sammy, and others who’d lost themselves entirely for so long, “but above all, we lived here and created life of our own that will remain forever in our memories and on the screen. You all mean the world to me, and you’ve made my life a great one.” 

Everyone raised their glasses again, taking a sip of their drinks and making sounds of agreement like before. Y/N joined her husband again while all the kids mingled and wandered through the studio one last time. This place was a part of them just as much as it was a part of their parents. The adults all caught up with each other, sharing stories and reminiscing for hours. Everyone had memories to share and old jokes to tell. 

Late in the evening, as the sun set over the New York skyline, the brave mechanic stood in the long shadows of the studio reflecting on the countless tears she’d shed for her loved ones and the seemingly endless fight for her freedom. For the longest time, she had stopped believing there was any way out. And now, decades later, she had that freedom. 

Henry joined her outside, laughter from the studio filtering out while the door was open, then fading when he closed it behind him. The streetlamps illuminated half of Y/N’s body and face, bringing Henry right back to his first memory of her. So many years had passed, but she seemed unchanged in that one moment.

“You saved us all that day, Y/N. You know that, right? That we all owe our lives to you?”

“I guess I do. But I still can’t think about it without remembering all the ways I let everyone down. There were so many times I could have put a stop to it all, but I didn’t. And now we’re all stuck with three decades worth of trauma that no one else could ever possibly understand because all that crap didn’t actually happen.”

“Y/N.” Henry fixed her with a stern look. “It happened. No matter what we’ve managed to get out of life now, that still happened. We all have skeletons in our closets, and we deal with them. We always do.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I just wish we didn’t have a whole graveyard’s worth in ours.”

Henry let out a tired laugh. 

“I’m with you there, Y/N.”

Silence fell on the street again, the stars beginning to shine faintly in the sky while one lamp flickered every so often. The warm summer air cleared Y/N’s lungs, like she was breathing for the first time. Nights like this took her right back to that first night after ending things. 

Everyone else went home, slept, ran, or walked until morning, relishing their freedom and peace. Y/N had gone upstairs to the roof and sat still for hours, just breathing and staring into the dark. Her mind was completely blank; not overrun with fear or worry. She was finally at rest; the battle was won. The war was over.

All was as it should be. All was right with the world. And for the first time in her life, Y/N wasn’t waiting for the next catastrophe. She was enjoying her peace of mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After eight chapters, 17,453 words, and many hours, this story has come to an end. I'm honestly so proud of this and it means so much to me. Writing has been such a huge part of my life for so long, and this is by far the longest fic I've written so far. There was never a time where I dreaded needing to write the next part for felt frustrated over how one part would lead to the next. I hope anyone who reads this enjoyed the story


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